


When I knew you

by tekowrites



Category: Young Avengers
Genre: AU, First Times, Jealousy, M/M, Tragedy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-02
Updated: 2013-05-02
Packaged: 2017-12-10 05:21:28
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 21,420
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/782283
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tekowrites/pseuds/tekowrites
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU where the Young Avenger’s team consists of six heroes only.</p><p>Billy is a hero fanboy, with a boner for every male hero out there, including the new Young Avengers. He’s a senior in high school, plowing through life, possible college applications, and his first crush.</p><p>He meets Teddy, a jock with a special smile and a habit of running off at the most inappropriate of times during dates. Billy is instantly in love, and puts his all into this first relationship, but is it enough? Will Teddy ever fully open up to him? And Who’s this person Billy reminds Teddy of?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Young Avengers Big Bang Fic
> 
> To Chaoscomix’s amazing scenes (http://mgs904.livejournal.com/4225.html)<3 All my love for the hard work you put into every line in these.

***

Billy woke up to the sound of his mother screaming at the top of her lungs that he was going to be late for school. He reached over to his Bat-alarm and found that it had stopped working sometime in the wee hours of the morning. Without his consent. He groaned. That’s what he got for buying merchandize that didn’t come with an official box on EBay.

“Stupid piece of junk. If you weren’t a limited edition, I’d have smashed you by now.”

He grabbed the closest pair of jeans he could find on the floor, slipping them on quickly, socks from an already open drawer and he pulled a t-shirt from the folded laundry at the bottom of the bed at random.

Billy barely opened his eyes through all his anxious running around, until he had his shoulder bag at hand and was out of the door. About half way down the road to school, Billy looked at a shop’s display mirror and stared in horror at his choice of clothes.

He was wearing a muddy pair of skinny jeans, which he’d meant to send to laundry. There was about 3 inches of mud covering each leg, and his underwear was sticking out through the gap where his zipper -which he’d forgotten to close- was. But the most disturbing detail of all, was the t-shirt he’d picked.

It was the Superman one. Blue with a massive S logo right smack in the middle. Great, all he was missing was a friggn’ cape to go with the look. There was no way he was going to go inside the school looking like a muddy dork, not when he’d already had a personal bully, who was just waiting for him to stand out.

Billy ducked away behind the shop, and tried to fix up his appearance. He was going to be late on purpose this time, to  _avoid_  as many students as possible. Billy tried to see if the mud would just crack and fall off since it was dry, and it did, but the stains left were twice as noticeable as the layer of dirt itself. He rolled the jeans up in one large fold up, since they were skinnys they weren’t likely to slide down.

He looked at his sneakers and noticed he hadn’t worn his socks, so he opened the bag to take them out, then remembered with fascinating clarity, how he’d set them on the floor to wear next to his sneakers and never picked them up. He found his black rimmed glasses instead and wondered if Clark Kent was out there somewhere laughing his head off at the kid who was apparently going to dress up as him, months before Halloween.

Billy tried to close the zipper, but it kept sliding down, the material of his boxers and the buttons there creating a massive obstacle.

And okay maybe he’d fattened up a little since the last time those pants had seen any wear. He had an idea of what he should do, but Billy hoped he wouldn’t need to do it. Stretching his shirt to the front, Billy tried to find a bathroom, and quick.

He was late of course, barely able to shuffle along -much less, walk- in what he was wearing. The glasses went a long way to hiding his face and frown, his embarrassment though, couldn’t be hidden by anything short of a billboard. Billy’s geeky attire was nothing at this point, the real cause of his mortification was his lack of underwear.

He kept his bag on his front and awkwardly took his late notice to get into class, feeling several stares aimed at him the minute he stood at the class door.

“Tardy again Kaplan. Aren’t you a little old for that?” His history teacher hadn’t even glanced at him to deliver that line and Billy wondered if he’d mean his shirt or just generally his entire existence this morning. He mumbled an apology and almost ran to his seat. There were whispers, the sounds mixing, elevating in loudness until a loud bang sounded from the front, and everyone went quiet.

“Now then, turn to page 57, the military and private forces, also referred to as open quote heroes end quote.”

Billy snapped to attention, wondering about fate and the irony of being in this t-shirt of all days.

*

The rest of the day...was interesting, to say the least.

For art class, they were taken outside to the field, where the football team was practicing, to sketch bodylines and forms. For once, Billy was surrounded by people, who kept borrowing things from him, asking him questions and commenting on his sketches. They weren’t the best sketches really, and Billy knew that because he wasn’t paying attention to sketching, or the people who kept making him nervous and breaking his concentration. He was staring out at the field and looking at one Teddy Altman, quarterback, blonde and so buff and hot that Billy knew even though his balls were almost blue from the tight constricting pants, he could easily sprout a boner at this vision.

You had to understand something about Teddy Altman, aside from his drool-worthy physique and rumored sweet personality, he was an idol. In the long years of his existence in the heart and soul of every little hopeful girl –and occasional guy- Teddy had never dated anyone. Never.

Billy didn’t want to brag, mostly because he didn’t want to be called a creep, but that one time? Teddy waved at him after gym class. It was really nothing, a fleeting moment, a hand up then quickly down, blink and you’d miss it entirely.

It had kept Billy up for days.

There really wasn’t anything that could explain the feeling, a flutter in your stomach maybe, your heart contracting, one minute too small for your chest, the next pushing at your rib cage, threatening to explode out of your body and spill your secrets to everyone.  Especially his parents. Billy was no fool, he’d read the stories, even the most loving families sometimes turned on their kids for being gay. He had a massive plan for his coming out, something so endearing even his parents would just sniffle and agree that a life as a musical geeky gay child was his true calling. It didn’t mean he wanted it out right now though. It wouldn’t bode well for his plans to befriend Teddy.

The teacher called them back and Billy picked up his pens and tools, noticing the football team leaving at the same time as them. He took his time collecting his stuff and thankfully, his new acquaintances left him alone long enough to do just that. He looked up from behind his glasses to see several of his female classmates sneak away to talk to the guys from the team. The girls were pointing at him, so, embarrassed and not wanting to be part of the freak show attraction, Billy ran off to join the rest of his class.

During recess, the mother of all strange things that happen in dreams, happened in reality.

Billy sat at his usual table, accompanying Andy, who was a geek of the Japanese sort, blabbing about tin-men and how he was going to build a robot someday and save the world that way. Which was an easy argument to counter, the world of heroes was actually there, physical and so far functional.

Andy complained that the bad guys were human, and with a robot as a hero -with no offense to Vision- they wouldn’t be easily won over by compassion and let the villains go.

To which Billy countered that yeah sure, but a human is a more complex, paranoid creature than a robot was, and so, more likely to detect lies, and more likely to snap out of living in one. Also, no offense taken.

Andy was just about to quote the law of robotics to him, when a large shadow blocked the rays of sun over his tray.

“Don’t mind me, please continue.”

Billy gaped like a little goldfish at the sight of the muscle god, in all his tanned and shiny glory standing at their table with his lunch tray. He faired better than Andy though, Andy got the wobbles, in his mouth no less, making his lips dance without control.

“I’m Teddy, Teddy Altman. You are?”

“Dude we know who you are!” Billy wanted to hit Andy with his tray of questionable chicken and side order of curly fries. He opened his mouth to introduce himself when Andy cut in again.

“I’m the Ands, and I command this here table. This nerd is Sir William.”

Post haste, Billy offered his hand.

“Don’t mind him, I’m Billy.” Billy did a dance of victory inside when he didn’t stutter and actually delivered something casual. When Teddy shook his hand, his grip almost had Billy squirming in his seat. It was a strong, very firm grasp, and for a moment, Billy could only think in terms of dicks and where his wanted to trade locations with at the moment.

“Hi Billy, and I assume, Andy? Can I have a seat?”

They both cleared the table so fast for Teddy that they must have looked desperate. Not that it mattered, Billy just wanted to bask in the heat of Teddy’s presence for every available second before the jock decided this was a bad idea.

Billy thought he must have exhausted all his good karma on this day, because Teddy sat next to him, and not at the head of the table, like the true trophy he was.

“So about those robots?”

Andy for his credit, didn’t seem to have lost that train of thought entirely, and launched right back into his speech. Then again, Andy wasn’t gay, so his brain hadn’t malfunctioned at the thought of his crush sitting inches away from his underwear-less dick.

Andy was well into his mantra on the Gundam series of 00 when Billy decided to finally speak up. If only because it was a sore spot with him.

“At least comics somehow revolve around the same universe! You don’t see Marvel killing a character and then brining his twin from God knows where to replace him.”

“Ha! At least the cast is very multi-cultural.”

“Back at you! At least the characters are not all human! I seriously doubt we have that many super beings that are just that amazing with no, God forbid, unnatural powers.”

“There is Haro!”

“We are not having the Haro discussion! Haro is a series mascot, not a character!”

Teddy laughed, interrupting their heated discussion and shocking the both of them into silence.

“The answer to this dilemma is to keep the topic neutral, and discuss LOTR you guys.”

Andy’s eyes narrowed and he pointed an accusing finger at Teddy. “There are no robots in Lord of the Rings.”

“No, but there’s every single type of fictional character you can think of? And no Heroes either.”

Billy piqued in with “Well, depending on your  _definition_  of Hero.”

Teddy raised his eyebrows. “I thought we just established that your definition of a hero is somewhere between Marvel and DC?”

Billy colored.

Andy raised a salute to Teddy.

Teddy though, decided to even the grounds and said, “And Andy? Mecha series where the focus is on how everyone is gay for each other isn’t exactly how I’d argue about the qualifications of robots.”

Andy barely opened his mouth to protest when Billy grabbed this chance to redeem himself. “Towards the Terra, Code Geass, and Macross Frontier?”

“Towards the Terra…”

“Get over it Andy.” Billy, fully restored now, delivered this final jab with much heat. Heat that quickly travelled south when Teddy leaned and whispered in his ear.

“I wouldn’t eat that chicken if I were you.”

For one lost second, Billy almost asked him to repeat that. Then he looked up and saw Teddy winking, before he excused himself from the table and headed back inside the school building.

Billy looked down at his chicken and found a folded piece of paper sitting right next to his plate.

“If you’re not eating that, can I have it?”

Billy ignored Andy as he unfolded the piece of paper, uncovering a series of numbers.

“So that was weird, ha? I didn’t think Altman even noticed we existed, and here he just waltzed by and had lunch with us. Christ, I didn’t think he’d even know what we were talking about and turns out he’s an expert geek under all that muscle.”

Billy kept looking at the number, wondering if that was actually a code, or a locker combination.

“Billy? Earth to Sir William? Break just ended. Bundle up for math class would you.”

“Ha?”

“Class! Geez.”

“Right. Yeah, coming.”

It couldn’t be a phone number, right?

*

Billy ran back home once school was over. Rushing over every step to his room, the echoing scream of his mother asking him to at least say hello and take off his shoes, going right over his head.

Obviously, after much contemplation, and hand pinching to awake himself from a long dream, Billy concluded that this here, in his hand, was really Teddy Altman’s cell phone number.

He was just picked up.

By wet dream himself, Teddy Altman.

 _Picked up_.

Billy stifled the uncharacteristic giggle that escaped his throat. Turning into a character of My Little Pony was not the answer to finally getting an audience with his highness Theodore Altman.

It even sounded catchy. Damn that giggle  _again_.

Obviously not someone familiar with the world of dating, Billy was stumped as to when to call exactly. He was a little annoyed actually. Why hadn’t Teddy gotten Billy’s number instead?

Then he recalled his number, and imagined his mother picking up their home phone and asking Teddy if he was Billy’s friend and saying something embarrassing like ‘ _Billy is changing his underwear at the moment_ ’ and decided Teddy was a clairvoyant and had already anticipated this glitch.

Though, again, back to the main concern of the day. When? Did he wait a day? Just to not seem impossibly desperate? Before dinner? After dinner? It was a cell phone number, so maybe midnight?

Parish the thought, who calls teenaged boys at midnight, right before sleep, in their beds, doing devil only knew what? Billy went with that thought for a while, then snapped back to reality.

Before dinner and away from his mother’s ears. Matter settled.

Now then, what to say?

Billy spent the remaining time before dinner rehearsing his lines and anticipating every type of scenario that could arise when he called. And when he knew he was absolutely ready, he picked up the cordless phone in his room and dialed the number carefully, wondering if the sound of his heart beating in his throat was actually audible on the other line. It sounded awfully loud in his head.

On the third ring, someone picked up.

“Yes?”

No hellos, no operator sounding lines, no family picking up instead. Billy swallowed around the heart-shaped lump in his throat and tried to speak.

“Um, this is Billy Kaplan?” It sounded more and more like he was asking Teddy if he were Billy Kaplan than an introduction, but he hoped it got through anyways, for the sake of his stuttering staying in check.

“Hi Billy. I didn’t think you were going to call.”

Billy took a moment to consider the missing actually in the statement and told himself he was imagining things.

“S-soryy. I um, didn’t know when would be a good time to call.”

Teddy’s voice was nothing short of warm honey as he replied back with, “I understand.” It took every little fiber of Billy’s concentration to focus on the next words, trying as he was not to turn into putty at the thought of Teddy and him sharing some sort of understanding.

“Listen Billy, I really enjoyed talking with you today, and was hoping we could get to know each other better.”

Billy went silent. It felt good to hear Teddy like that, but he wasn’t sure Teddy was asking him what he thought he was asking. Getting to know each other as friends?

“Billy? I’m asking if you could go out with me.”

Maybe he really was a clairvoyant. “I. Yes, yes of course. I just, I didn’t know if you were? Or if you knew I were, you know,” Billy waved his hand around, like Teddy was supposed to see that. Teddy seemed to have enough powers to anticipate his process thought, so who knew?

“Why don’t we have this conversation tomorrow after school?”

Billy distinctly heard the sound of his mother calling him down for dinner, and smiled over Teddy having to leave for a similar reason.

“Sure.”

“Great, it’s a date then.”

“It is. Goodnight.”

“You too. Bye.”

He clicked off as well, but kept holding onto the phone like it was a magical appliance that could instantly connect him to Teddy wherever he was.

It was. And he had a date.

If anyone noticed how giddy he was at dinner, no one said anything, his eyes had said it all already.

“College applications going well son?”

“As best as can be expected. It’s a little too early dad.”

“There’s nothing wrong with a bit of a head start. Anticipate the grades, and outrun the late crowd.”

“Sure.” Sure, like college wasn’t already taking second place in his priority marathon, where one Teddy Altman was winning by a landslide.

*

Billy remembers the date fairly differently each time he recalls it. There had been ice cream, French fries, lots, and lots of touching and talking.

He wasn’t sure exactly if Teddy had always been the touchy feely type, but it didn’t bother him. Even when his embarrassment had escalated to impossible heights, Teddy took one look at his too red face, squeezed his hand in comfort and let go to finish the rest of his ice cream.

Billy found out that Teddy was an only child, and it was just him and his mom. Teddy knew he was gay for quite a while, not that anyone on his football team knew. His mom did, and she didn’t have any objections to it.

He asked Billy a lot of stuff about his own life, and it was comforting because it was a topic Billy was familiar with, and that told him Teddy was genuinely interested. At one point, Teddy had touched his hair and looked into his eyes. Fighting off embarrassment, Billy asked what he was doing.

“Do you always part your hair like this?”

“Like what?” Billy laughed it off, his blushing going down a notch.

“On the right side.”

“Oh. I never really thought about it. It just naturally flops that way I guess. Do you think it would look different on the other side?”

“No, not by much. It doesn’t matter. Sorry for saying something weird.”

“Alright. Um, you could tell me about those earnings though?”

Teddy laughed, and they launched into a new discussion.

It was a great date, and Billy wondered if they might have kissed at the end of it, if Teddy’s phone hadn’t rang and he’d needed to leave. He was apologetic and so sweet about it, that Billy felt bad keeping him around longer, and almost waved him off to his next destination.

Billy headed home, practically flying on cloud nine and wondering if everything that was happening was really happening; or whether this was some sort of divine test that would come back to bite him in the ass.

He walked inside to the sound of their TV blasting the latest news about a massive fire that started in a building up for demolishing, to the one next to it, which was fully populated.

_‘Rescue efforts have doubled in the last fifteen minutes as the Young Avengers it seems, have joined the forces already gathered. We have live footage from the scene where our reporter Nick is stationed…’_

“Hey mom.”

“Hello yourself, I was starting to get worried.”

“If I had a cell phone, you’d have been able to check up on me faster you know.”

“If you had told me where you were going, I wouldn’t have to.”

“I told you I’d be back before curfew.”

“Accidents happen, I need to know where you are so I don’t feel anxious.”

“I can’t tell you everything mom, what about my privacy? What if I were underwear shopping?”

“Then I’d ask you to pick up a pair for your father.”

Billy rolled his eyes at his mother, looking skyward at the end of his loop.

“I assume you still want dinner?”

Billy wanted to say no, just so he could go back to his room and relive the memory one more time, but a rumble gave his mother the answer she was expecting.

“Come and help me in the kitchen then.”

Billy nodded and followed her inside, the sound of Nick the reporter, telling everyone about Hulking’s brave jump into the fire to save a family, fading into the background.

*

At school the next day, everything seemed normal. Billy almost wanted to shout his news to everyone, but thought better of it, it wouldn’t do to out Teddy this way. He also thought better of putting himself in the line of fire when it came to Teddy’s numerous fans and female fan club.

He wasn’t even sure how Teddy managed to shake the girls off his tail day in and day out. It certainly had nothing to do with Billy chanting ‘please don’t let them see us’ every single day. He was sure Teddy must have said something to them, because by the sixth date, the girls didn’t even seem to notice them, even when they were right next to them in the park.

Billy only wished that whoever kept calling Teddy while on their dates would soon be as considerate. That one time out together, Billy had excused himself to the bathroom, and came back to find a hastily written apology on their receipt and no sign of Teddy.

Frankly, it was ridiculous, but Billy couldn’t bring himself to ask where Teddy was going, or who was calling. It was just the way Teddy talked in response to those phone calls. Sometimes he seemed exasperated, and others he just seemed curt, busy and determined. It was like, the entire world depended on his leaving Billy smack in the middle of their date to fend for himself.

Teddy wasn’t even mean to him, wasn’t distant while he got the phone calls, which made it worse for Billy to hate them, or Teddy for taking them. It was just frustrating that he was more often than not, left before they could say a proper goodbye.

This is when Billy came up with the brilliant idea of inviting Teddy over to his house. Family included, because Billy wasn’t sure he wouldn’t pass out from blood loss if something happened between them and Teddy got a call.

For now though? He was content discussing how hot the Young Avengers were.

“I mean, have you seen Hulking? I wouldn’t mind getting crushed in those hands, talons, wings, and all.”

“You’ve got to be joking.”

“Hey, I’m not the one with a massive crush on Iron man, at least Hulking is more of a what-you-see is what-you-get.”

“What do you think of the rest of the team? Also, you know I’m not letting you get away with that comment, right? At least I have a restrained list, yours seems to include just about everyone.”

“Patriot is hot. Off topic but, I was glad he stayed with a simple eye-mask instead. A real ode to the first Capitan America.”

“Point. Uh, what about..Speed?”

“He’s too fast for my eyes. But one thing’s for sure, if he’s anything like Quicksilver? He’s got to be at least handsome.”

When Teddy doubled over in laughter, all Billy did was scoff at him. So what if he was a fanboy?

Then Billy decided to beat the odds of that coming out this time, and choosing a movie Teddy would never expect him to. Even if it meant saving  _The sound of life_   for another day.

*


	2. Chapter 2

***

“ _Make your own kind of music_ ”

“Are you quoting along?”

“I-it’s a really good movie, okay?”

“I didn’t say anything. I agree though, just haven’t really watched stuff like this before.”

“You haven’t?”

“No.”

“I’m glad you’re enjoying it. It’s kind of how I figured a dream relationship would work out. You know, minus the beating of course.”

“What about the seventy minus one?”

Billy colored instantly, not that Teddy could see him in the dark. Teddy’s tone was just curious, it would be bad to have hope and take it all too seriously. But that didn’t help ease the sudden anticipation Billy felt in the pit of his stomach. “That’s..um defiantly in.”

He turned a little to see Teddy, who was looking right back at him. The scene changed, it was no longer the park and security of darkness, the new colors from the screen shined through and outlined Teddy and Billy’s faces.

Billy’s throat was so dry at that point, he couldn’t really say anything, even if he wanted to. It was silly, but there was so much fear inside of him, fear of touching, fear of being hurt and fear of never having what was right within reach. He was noticing how Teddy was breathing, and his breath tickled the side of Billy face, the little puffs of hot air getting closer.

“Are you going to-”

“Hush.” Teddy kissed him

Billy dizzily thought that if he got to experience this forever, he’d never utter a single word ever again.

His face was flushed, and suddenly all his senses and nerve endings were centered right there where his lips met Teddy’s full ones.

Billy’s brain, which should have shut off during all those new sensations, was in overdrive. He wondered about Teddy and his range of experiences, when it became quite clear that Teddy actually _had_  hands on experience in the kissing department. Meanwhile, Billy’s practice partners were all there, in his room, sitting on shelves that he made sure to keep dust-free. Some irrational part of his brain was telling him to get up and turn the action figures around so they weren’t facing them.

Teddy broke the kiss and Billy almost audibly whined at the sudden loss of warm lips over his. He wanted to kick himself for spending his first kiss, lost inside his own head. He breathed a little and only then noticed how short of breath he was. Had he been holding his breath?

“Um.c-”

When Teddy cut him off for the second time with a more active kiss, Billy decided his brain needed to shut down, because turning his brain and muscles into a pile of unrecognizable goo was clearly Teddy’s sole intention.

Teddy bit his upper lip, a small nip that made him gasp and hold onto Teddy’s arm so he wouldn’t fall backwards into his dresser. Teddy then licked his bottom lip, and Billy closed his mouth, trying to draw Teddy’s tongue inside. When Teddy pushed their lips harder together, and the arm Billy was hanging onto, slid over his shoulder and cupped the back of his neck, Billy knew he’d succeeded.

Someone whimpered, and Billy dug his fingers firmly into Teddy’s arm when he realized it was him.

He never thought his mouth was so sensitive. While his tongue was stuck to the bottom, Teddy’s was sweeping over his teeth, and then tickling the roof of his mouth. Billy knew what was coming, and he barely managed not to bite Teddy’s tongue when it touched his.

The knock on the door though, succeeded in making him do just that. He thought he heard Teddy swear, but he was too busy trying to untangle himself and jump into the opposite direction to really focus on the words.

“Billy? Is your guest staying for dinner?” Billy wanted to rip his hair out at his mother’s seemingly perfect timing. It was as if she had spies in his room and knew to knock just then. He looked at his figures accusingly.

Teddy seemingly indisposed at the moment, and hadn’t offered a response, Billy decided to do away with his mother’s impending interrogation now, then amend the statement accordingly, much later.

“Yes.”

“Alright, dinner’s going to be ready in a bit, I’ll call you boys when it is.”

“Thanks mom.” What he really meant was _, please leave now_. It worked and Billy finally breathed a sigh of relief when he heard the thud of her footsteps on the stairs.

He turned to look at Teddy, face wrought with apology and a barely contained shy grin. “Sorry about that. Is your..Err I mean..What, what I was going to..Um are you okay? Like everywhere? Um.” 

Billy buried his face in his hands, trying to voluntarily asphyxiate himself. Let it never be said that Billy’s geekyness didn’t extend to making an awkward social recluse of himself, despite his attempts at conveying the exact opposite to his parents.

“I don’t think we’re going to try kissing again.”

Billy tried to look sheepish, but something about the words stung a little. He wasn’t going to tell Teddy that this was his first time, because he didn’t want to seem pathetic. A bad kisser was better than a geeky virgin, right?

Teddy’s lips twitched a little, then he burst out laughing. Billy’s head snapped up to see what was wrong.

“You’re face was  _priceless_. Kaplan you’re too damn cute. Yes, all of me is okay.” There was still a bit of a laugh in Teddy’s voice as he said the last part, and he patted himself down to prove his point. Billy half expected him to wipe imaginary tears out of the corner of his eyes.

Billy tried to follow the same example and laugh about it, but his laugh died quickly enough. At least Teddy thought he was cute. Or maybe that was the problem, he didn’t want to be seen as cute. Cute was sometimes associated with such things as nice, klutz, spazz, cats and children, but never with hot, desirable, boyfriend and sex. Billy needed to up his game; he needed to enter the league -so to speak-.

“Billy! Come down and help set the table!”

Being his momma’s boy was  _not_  helping his case.

“Sorry, we should get going. Um, actually, did you want to stay for dinner?”

“Yes. Absolutely.”

Two words that considerably brightened up Billy’s entire being. It must have been all over his face, because Teddy leaned at that moment and gave him a small kiss, proving once more that he hadn’t meant the statement earlier. The league could wait for later, Billy decided he didn’t mind being cute for the rest of the night.

Dinner was a quiet affair, at least for Billy because it was rather grueling for Teddy. His parents, interested in the rare sight of a jock as their son’s friend kept firing a series of seemingly endless questions. True sport that he was, Teddy answered best as he could but avoided anything that would out either him or Billy. It was a good thing they’d bonded over comics.

When Teddy said his thanks after dinner and headed towards the door, Billy rushed to see him out. He stepped out and closed the door behind him, trying to hold on to every minute of Teddy’s being there.

“Thanks for dinner, and the movie.”

“No problem. Thanks for coming over.” That wasn’t what Billy was thinking though and he was glad the filter installed between brain and mouth had worked this time and he hadn’t ended up saying  _Thanks for making out with me._

“There’s a party this weekend, some guy I know from a club is planning it. Do you want to check it out?”

“You mean like, a pool party?”

Teddy laughed at his expression, but nodded all the same. “Yup, one of those.”

Billy’s initial reaction was a sure No. He didn’t know if this was good idea and he was sure the thing was meant for single people more than for couples. Which they were, whether or not they were letting people in on the secret. Then some part of his brain urged him to accept, road to less cute and extra sexy in his foreseeable future and the perfect place to show it.

“Sure.” Billy steeled his voice, making it seem as if he wasn’t really  _un_ sure about it.

“Great. I’ll pick you up then Kaplan. Goodnight.”

Teddy turned and left. Billy was a knot of nerves as he watched him leave, wondering if that really was the smartest thing to do.

The door opened behind him, and his mother stood there watching him, a knowing look crossing her features.

“Do you want to talk?”

Billy shook his head, not really sure which topic she meant, and a little too drained to care.

“We won’t think less of you if you tell us. Is he..?”

Billy froze in his steps, looking back at his mother and imagining a horror flick ready to unfold into the very living room he was currently standing in. Was his dad going to come out of the shadows of the kitchen next?

“I...”

“It’s okay. I know. I think I noticed it early on. You should have seen your father’s reaction when I told him.”

Billy winced.

“He seems like a lovely boy.”

“What was dad’s reaction?”

“Oh, he thought Theodore didn’t look the part at all. I chastised him, you’d think after the books we’ve been reading, he’d have a bit more tact.” His mother laughed to herself, and Billy’s eyes continued to widen.

“His reaction to Teddy? W-what about, wait, what about  _me_?”

“Billy we’ve known for years, what about you? We love you and it never changed anything before, and it won’t change anything now.”

Billy had figured his coming out was going to be something right out of the production of Hairspray. When in fact, it was even less anticlimactic than  _Jungle Book_  was if you’d watched it at age 5.

His mom gave him a hug, then shooed him away to bed with another crack about lack of sleep.

He needed a serious upgrade.

*

Billy took it as a sign that their date was going to fail, when he couldn’t find anything decent to wear in his closet.

It was usually easy, on the account that he’d wear something he was impressed with, and knew a small minority would find appealing. In the rare occasion he ever went to a party that is, which at that moment in time had been strictly birthday and Halloween parties. Now? His single most reoccurring thought was ‘Would Teddy like this?’

What he wore to school that day was an utter fluke; he didn’t dress like that on a normal basis, and never that combination either. What did one wear for a party anyway?

Billy grabbed a v-necked white t-shirt, black fitted pants and decided to forgo the sneakers this time.

If he had any comment on what he looked like at that moment, it would be ‘straight’.

Teddy came over right as he was contemplating a bit of mascara to drive off unwanted attention from anyone other than Teddy. The sight of Teddy in fitted jeans, a sleeveless black top and boots of all things, made Billy drop everything to reach Teddy and get a closer inspecting look.

Billy had to blink several times when he saw a car parked outside his house.

“You have a car. No wait, you drive?”

Teddy winked at him. “Just goes to show that being born a few months early, makes all the difference.”

“Do you think I should run this by my mom?”

“That I’m older?”

“No you dork. That you’re driving me over there.”

“I’m a good driver, or so I’m told, you don’t need to worry.”

“Right.” Billy decided that the sense of foreboding he was getting, didn’t extend to Teddy’s driving.

The trip to the party was deceivingly normal. It might have had something to do with Billy’s iron grip on the door handle and the endless chant of please don’t let us crash into anything.

Which had Teddy roaring with laughter and trying to grab Billy’s other hand to soothe his frying nerves.

No such luck as Billy looked at him with horror for taking his hand off the steering wheel.

Billy couldn’t believe it when they had finally pulled up next to the house, and actually had to restrain himself from flinging the door open and running towards solid land.

He vowed not to get back in the car anytime soon.

Teddy told him he looked nice, before they’d gotten in the car, and Billy had taken that as a good sign of scoring points. However, upon leaving the car in a frantic pursuit of safety, he had again managed to reduce himself to ‘cute’ again.

*

The house was a mess of tissue, bodies, paper cups, bottles and cans of different beverages all lining the pool. Which is exactly where Billy found himself being steered towards, Teddy moving with purpose.

They came face to face with a girl with black hair, dressed appropriately for a night out for dinner, and a tall guy next to her. They seemed to be bickering about something, and then they turned immediately towards Teddy, waving him over.

They looked taken aback when they saw Billy.

“Eli, Kate, this is Billy Kaplan. Billy, these are my friends from a summer camp we used to attend.”

Billy waved Hi. Kate waved back, and Eli nodded.

Eli looked at Kate, she looked back, and then they both looked at him again.

“He looks a lot like..”

“Yes. Uncanny, really.”

Billy wanted to squirm away from under their scrutinizing eyes. Kate seemed to snap out of her reverie first and offered him an apologetic smile.

“We’re sorry, you just resemble someone we know.”

“Yeah, the resemblance is striking.”

“Who do I resemble?”

Teddy laughed. Billy wasn’t sure if he was sharing a joke with his friends, or laughing at Billy’s reaction.

“My ex.”

“Teddy, really.”

“Altman, don’t even joke about it. The image from that would be bleach resistant.”

“My bad. You should have seen your faces though.”

“Funny.”

Billy felt lost, and not just a tad uncomfortable. Teddy looked down at his face and laughed.

“He’s just a friend from summer camp. You’re not really identical or anything. It’s just an impression.”

Eli coughed, and Kate was studying her nails, every subtle nuance of her body language seemed to call Teddy’s bluff. Billy tried a smile of his own, but it faltered moments later.

He wanted out. He didn’t want to stay longer at this party where he only knew Teddy. The Teddy he knew, and the Teddy right in front of him weren’t the same at all. He tried to convey this message of wanting to leave to Teddy, but noted much to his dismay, that Teddy was gone.

He looked around, still stuck in the same spot he was left at, and noted that Eli and Kate both looked as uncomfortable with his presence as he was with theirs.

They heard a shout, and everyone turned to look at the source.

“Oh for Goodness sake, Tommy get down!”

“It’s a good thing Cassie couldn’t make it.”

“Can’t believe he did this. When he said the meeting should be at his place, I wasn’t expecting this.”

“Altman knew though.” They turned to look at him briefly and then away.

Billy decided at that moment that whatever danger the car had posed on their way there, death was more welcoming than being a total pole even where no one from school knew him. Maybe he just didn’t have a wild streak. Well, not like the crazy kid with the white hair, who was dangling himself from the second floor window at least.

He leaned on the car and waited, arms folded across his chest.

He got three invitations to go back into the party. Two girls who wanted to dance with him, and a cute blond named Mike.

“We can take a ride away from all the noise and have some real fun. What do you say?”

Billy wanted to nod yes, if only because ‘away’ was where he wanted to be now. Then he remembered Teddy’s smiling face, the face that called him cute and how he’d said Billy looked nice. He decided everyone had their off day.

“I’m sorry, I’m waiting for my boyfriend to finish saying his goodbyes.”

“There he is. I told you he didn’t go far.”

Mike was still leaning over him, arms anchored on the doorframe. Kate lifted an eyebrow.

Billy lifted one of his own in mock response. So much for not outing himself. When Eli appeared next to Kate, Mike took it as his cue to take off before more of them showed up.

Billy thought it was good thinking on his part, because the very next instant, Teddy showed up.

“Thanks guys.”

“Whatever Altman, just go.”

“Goodnight Teddy.”

Teddy stopped to frown at her for a second, then he turned and walked towards him.

“Sorry about that.”

“Did you get to see them?”

“See them?”

“Whoever you left me to go find.”

“Oh. Yeah. Listen, sorry about that, I left you with Kate and Eli but I didn’t think you’d go back to the car.”

“Teddy I don’t know anyone there.”

“Eli and Kate know you though, I told them I’d bring you around to meet them.”

“They know me..?”

“Yeah. They know we’re dating.”

“You  _told_  people about me, about us?”

“Billy, you can tell your friends about us if you want. Just no one at school.”

Billy bit back the response about not knowing anyone outside of school, and the part about when Teddy thought it would have been appropriate to fill him in on that bit of information. He could have made use of that piece of information before he’d made that awkward display of immaturity in front of Kate.

 Besides, that wasn’t the issue he had with the entire night. It was about being left alone, yet again. That coupled with Teddy’s odd behavior, oddly as flamboyant as if he was sitting around with his football team.

“Can you just take me home please?” Billy was sure there was something in his tone that was broken, because the next instant Teddy seemed to sober up and unlock the car.

Billy slipped inside, grateful to be sitting at last, and looked straight ahead. It took him two minutes to feel slightly guilty, and look towards Teddy.

But Teddy didn’t meet his eyes throughout the entire trip back.

When Teddy braked, Billy waited for him to say something. The little green numbers on the electronic car watch changed numbers again, time passed by and neither said a word.

Billy unbuckled his seatbelt, whispered goodnight and closed the door. He was halfway to the house when Teddy drove off.

*

Billy worked on his College applications, filling in inane information wherever needed alternating between the online ones, and the physical ones he had to send by mail. Typing didn’t diminish much of his anger, as it didn’t require much force, but writing down everything in angry block letters? Perfect medication.

His anger slipped away easily after a proper meal, and numb fingers had registered in his system. By the end of the day, all he felt was anxious.

He wasn’t sure he should call Teddy, or if Teddy would even pick up once he did call. He also took it for granted that Teddy wouldn’t be the one calling him.

The weekend went by in a flash with no communication from either side. Billy kept telling himself that this didn’t mean the end for both of them. Whatever this new development was, they could get through it. It was all rosy and mature in his head when he thought about it.

That all changed once he sat down at lunch and saw Teddy laughing with the guys from his football team, exchanging jokes and not glancing even once in his direction.

He picked at his mystery protein of the day and didn’t eat, a wave of nausea washing through him. Even Andy noticed, which meant that Billy’s face was probably an open portal into his very soul at the present.

“If you want to skip math, I’ll cover for you.”

Billy nodded absently, thinking with horror that he might actually cry there at the lunch table if he didn’t get up, and soon.

Andy waved him off, refusing his offered meal after a quick sniff. Probably thinking that whatever Billy had, he’d contracted from their cafeteria food. He headed out.

Billy sat in the bathroom until the bell rang, singling the end of recess and bathroom traffic. He felt hollow.

He didn’t cry. Obviously, there was nothing strange about Teddy being with his friends. There was nothing strange about Teddy not glancing at him. Except that now it reminded him of that return trip in the car. Teddy’s disinterested face as he drove him back, Teddy’s lack of response once he dropped him off. Then the silent weekend.

Billy sniffled a little, huge racking sobs making their way to the surface, threatening to break the fragile control he kept on his emotions.

There was a loud bang in the bathroom, and it stopped him short. Billy quickly dried his eyes and flushed the toilet he was in.

Someone knocked on his stall and he opened the door to find Mr. Smith, their Biology teacher, standing outside.

“Are you skipping class?”

“No, sir.”

“You had better not. Not on my rounds. Off you go.”

Billy turned and left, trying to figure out what Andy might have told their math teacher about his absence. He passed by Mr. Smith again, coming out of the teacher’s lounge. He wondered how the man had made it back so quick, without Billy seeing him.

Andy, predictably, had told the teacher that he hadn’t been feeling well. Billy just nodded and said he’d taken some medicine from the school nurse and was fine now. He thanked Andy on his way back to his seat, and tried to concentrate on the lesson ahead. It took all Billy’s concentration to make sense of the new laws and equations, and for once, Billy was generous with his attention.

*

Billy picked up his bag, and made his way back home; wishing for once that it wasn’t so close by. It was just a short walk next to a fenced park, which lasted about five minutes, before all the green melted away into sidewalks, private gardens and fancy nameplates.

A couple of minutes into his walk, he came face to face with Teddy.

Billy wondered if Teddy liked to break up like that, up close and personal and not on the phone, and suddenly his desire to hurl was too strong for words. His fingers, the ones that weren’t holding on to his bag, twitched. Fascinating how he’d chosen this as the perfect time in this lifetime to develop a new nervous tick. Twitching fingers and a lump in his throat that hadn’t gone away, just because a teacher had kicked him out of the bathroom.

He was trying to look at Teddy, and found that it was even more painful than he thought. But Billy didn’t want to not look at the face he’d been thinking nonstop about for the past three years. Billy wished he’d never noticed him, never saw how bright and warm Teddy’s smile could be. He wished he’d never known how fast a person could fall in love with Teddy Altman.

“I’m sorry about the other night. I don’t know what I was thinking, leaving you alone like that.”

His eyes slowly blinked. Billy was stunned into silence, afraid of making a single wrong move and having this Teddy disappear in favor of the cold one at the party. Suddenly the ground under his feet seemed very fascinating. He clutched his bag tighter.

“I want to make it up to you. If you’ll let me.”

Billy looked up at Teddy’s face, really seeing him, and relief flooded him when he saw those blue eyes looking straight back at him.

“Anything?”  _No more phone calls, no more parties, and no more of those friends of yours at the party_. The expression on Teddy’s face never changed when he said the word, he didn’t even seem to take time and think about what Billy was asking.

“Anything.”

Billy smiled.

“There’s this event I’ve always wanted to attend, I want you to come with me.”

*


	3. Chapter 3

 

***

The lead up to the grand promise was anything but stressful.

Billy hadn’t told Teddy exactly what event it was, telling Teddy would just about jinx the whole thing, and give him time to reconsider.

Besides, it was weeks away, there was no point in getting all excited and hopeful for a duration that long, right?

Right, like he wasn’t still coming up with plans and then shooting them down when he thought of the next best thing.

But it wasn’t, stressful that is. But eventful? It surely was.

They’d taken a chance with Teddy’s schedule once, and gone to see a movie. Something silly that Billy knew for sure none of Teddy’s teammates would be there to watch. They caught the screening of Happy Feet 2.

He was somewhat surprised when Teddy actually agreed; comics were one thing, but 3D animations?

All his worries sort of crumbled away when he heard Teddy laughing at the very start of the movie. He also found it extremely endearing when Teddy’s foot kept tapping along with the music.

About half way into the movie, Billy started to question the sanity of leaving the popcorn in his lap, if only because Teddy kept brushing his fingers on Billy’s thigh, looking for it.

Worst of all, Teddy didn’t seem to notice the effect it was having on him, which seemed to fuel Billy’s growing frustration even more. Their hands met at the next handful and stilled.

Billy tried to concentrate on the movie, willing his almost hard-on to die using the reminder that this was still considered a kids movie. The small bodies on kid seats, and pigtailed heads didn’t deserve a reality check about adulthood this soon, nor did they need to learn it from Billy.

Completely ruining his concentration, Teddy leaned towards him and licked the corner of his mouth. “Sweet.”

Billy bit down on his lower lip, grateful he'd managed to keep the groan in, then handed Teddy the entire container of popcorn. Much to his relief, the touching stopped, and after several minutes of gazing at nothing but large expanses of ice, his tent finally flopped.

Hours later, back in Billy’s room and sans popcorn, Teddy’s fingers found his lap again.

“Teddy…”

“Hmm?”

“Um. Y-your hand.”

“Oh, this? I didn’t think you’d notice.”

 _Didn’t think you’d notice?_ He’d almost made a  _criminal_  out of himself. Wait though..That meant...

Billy chocked on his next words. “Wait, you did that on purpose?! In the movies!”

Teddy flashed his teeth in a wide grin, fingers no longer feather touching Billy’s sensitive thighs, but digging into the fabric of his jeans instead.

Billy sucked in a breath. They’d been dancing around this for a while now, and Billy had been hoping the ball would end; the clock would indicate midnight and send them off home, to this very situation. He looked at Teddy’s phone, visible through Teddy’s pants. He’d dreamt of touching Teddy like this countless times, and If Teddy’s phone went off, Billy was sure he would have to break it.

“Lean back.”

“Bed first?”

“Good idea.”

Billy stood up from his location on the floor, and when Teddy was on his feet as well, Billy kissed him. He threaded his fingers through the soft short hair at the back of Teddy’s scalp. Teddy’s hands roamed over his body until one cupped his ass, the other resting on his left hip, fingers teasing the skin right above his jeans.

He went back a few steps, the backs of his knees hitting the edge of his bed. Teddy broke the kiss, focusing on kneading Billy’s flesh through the fabric of his jeans.

Billy’s hands grabbed the bottom of Teddy’s shirt, and he slowly began to lift it up. He knew it was a bold move on his part, but he’d been fantasizing about those taut muscles and Teddy’s warm skin for far longer than he cared to remember. He’d only caught glimpses of it after football practice, when both classes shared the field, and even then, there’d been such a distance that a look had hardly counted as one.

He got the shirt up as far as Teddy’s abs where, before he had to stop, Teddy turning him into a mess of nerves every-time he kissed the spot right above his collarbone. Teddy kissed his way up the side of Billy’s neck, before Billy finally lost enough of his balance to topple backwards onto the bed, dragging Teddy with him. His hands were still clutching Teddy’s shirt, so he used the time that it took Teddy to untangle his hand from under him, to lift it up more.

Once Teddy’s chest was more or less fully exposed, Billy wiggled lower and got an eyeful.  With one hand, he started tracing the defined lines in front of him, Teddy giving him time to study every little detail.

“Like what you see?”

Billy’s yes was lost in a whimper, as Teddy licked the outer shell of his ear, and then dipped his tongue inside. The sensation of something hot and wet inside that small and protected part of his body, shot straight to his cock, and Billy could feel it leaking into his underwear.

“Wana see more of you.”

Billy nodded dumbly, not sure he could make a single coherent thought pass from his brain through mouth. He placed a hand at the edge of his shirt, but Teddy moved it lower, until his fingers were right above his jeans’ button.

Teddy’s shirt was still stuck right under his arm, leaving Billy with a magnificent view as he watched Teddy push his jeans lower on his hips, exposing Billy’s every wet dream and nightmare combined together.

He pushed his button in, unzipped his pants and lowered them until just above his knees, his legs still trapped inside.

He wasn’t prepared for when Teddy yanked them all the way off, and pushed his legs apart, settling in-between them.

Billy pulled his shirt lower over himself, feeling too exposed in relation to Teddy, even if Teddy’s only left defense was a wedged shirt right under his pits. That and he was too conscious of how Teddy was looking at him from above. Teddy leaned down and kissed his forehead, placing a hand over Billy’s cock, which had already created a wet spot in the shirt it was hidden under.

Billy moaned, his fingers growing slack around the shirt. A small, but distant sound from downstairs caught his attention and Billy colored. He brought a hand up to his mouth to cover it. He’d completely forgotten about his parents and the twins.

Teddy used that chance to tug the shirt out of his other hand, before lying down on top of Billy.

Billy felt Teddy’s fingers on his length, together with Teddy’s own slick heat rubbing up against him. It took all his will power not to come then and there, channeling his frustration into the hand gripping his sheets and twisting them out of shape.

Teddy started to move, both of their cocks trapped in his fist. It started out slow, and as soon as Billy got his threatening release under a relative form of control, he moved against Teddy’s push and pull, and the pace picked up speed.

He heard Teddy groan as they kept rubbing against each other, and it didn’t take much more than that for Billy to curl his toes and tip over the edge of release. Truthfully, he’d been teetering on that same edge ever since Teddy had pulled down his pants and Billy had seen how hard and massive his cock was. He tried to look at it, between sloppy movements against Teddy, trying to get him off now, but lost sight of it in Teddy’s grip. A few minutes later and it was Teddy’s turn to come, covering Billy’s shirt with his seed, mixing in with Billy’s own.

Billy grinned up at him, the hand that had been covering his mouth resting on his chest now, rising and falling as he regained more and more of his breath.

Teddy collapsed next to him on the bed, reached for his hand and brought to his lips for a kiss.

Billy felt the kiss, the newly transferred mess to his hand and then the covers being pulled over the both of them, he smiled with his eyes closed, satisfied.

*

“Billy I’m not sure about this.”

“Oh come on! You need to do this. It’s like a rite of passage or something.” Billy flailed his right arm in a sort of whooshing motion, and wondered if that qualified as a rite of passage for  _him_.

“What if people recognize me from the team?”

“They _won’t_. You have enough makeup on you to make even me doubt who you are. Here, let me add more eye shadow and swirls.”

He’d sort of gotten the idea from his twin brothers, though, from their sort of less sophisticated design of it. One of them had painted his face with thin stripes of every color available and the other had just painted his entire face blue. So he’d painted half their faces green and the other half was covered in decorative, rainbow colored strokes and swirls.

“Explain this design to me again, why halves?”

“It’s sort of how we are, if you look at it. We’re not just black and white, not a concept. We’re a lot more than that, which is what the swirls part represents. But then we can be a solid concept, a unity, and a single thing, so the one solid color represents that then.”

“And you chose green?”

“Duh, we can also be attractive aliens. Plus, green really looks good on you.” Teddy’s mouth twitched a little, Billy wondered if that was just purely amusement or if there was a hidden joke in there somewhere.

“You should have colored yours red then, it really sets off your eyes.”

“I want to look like a gay kid with a design concept, not Two Face, thank you very much.” Billy stuck out his tongue.

“Technically, blue and green and red respectably could all represent that?”

“Technically. I’m going with the comics here, he looked better then. Also, blue? Seriously?”

“Then we should have just came here in our underwear like everybody else.”

“I thought you  _didn’t_  want to stand out?” Billy laughed, finally tucking away all the brushes and makeup containers. “Let’s go join the Parade.”

Billy could have sworn he heard Teddy mumble something about him being a fanboy but he wasn’t sure what it was.

Teddy grabbed his hand and they walked together towards the massive crowd of people standing at the sidelines of the Pride Parade March. It took a bit of maneuvering, but they finally managed to get into the middle.

“I can’t see much from here.”

“All those wigs, ha?”

“Yeah.”

Teddy squatted down, motioning to Billy.

“What?”

“Sit on my shoulders.”

“You can’t be serious.” Billy just looked at him, dumfounded.

“You don’t think I can carry you?”

“No I think I’m heavier than you expect, and if you drop me I’ll break my neck.”

Teddy pulled on his arm urging him to come closer. “I won’t drop you.”

“Says you.”

“I promise. Come on, I’m stronger than I look.”

“I don’t know about this Teddy.”

“Trust me.” Billy wondered when he’d stop reacting so strongly to Teddy’s words, and when he’d ever be able to discern which of them were meant to tease him and which were serious statements. He sighed and tried to place his legs on either side of Teddy’s head. When Teddy started to get up, he almost crushed Teddy’s head with his thighs and the arms that went around Teddy’s head to make sure he didn’t fall.

Teddy stood really carefully, and might have said something, but it was muffled in the mob of limbs he was under.

Only when he felt a slight tap on his right thigh did Billy open his eyes, and slowly relax his arms from around Teddy’s head.

“How’s the view?”

“I..It’s amazing.”

“Good.”

There was a slight shaky movement under him, but Teddy’s hands were holding onto the tips of his to keep him safe that far up, and it was gone in seconds.

“I didn’t realize you were this tall, before.”

“It’s one of my best kept secrets.” Teddy winked at him.

Billy felt such a rush of affection for Teddy at that point, his face colored, warmth spreading into every corner of his body. His feet were planted almost directly on Teddy’s chest now, so he slipped his fingers from Teddy’s hold, to come up to Teddy’s face.

Teddy looked up at him, intimate, happy and Billy leaned to kiss him like that.

There were catcalls and wolf whistles around them, but Billy only grinned into the kiss. Nothing could have stopped him and no one would, this was their day, he could be proud of this.

When they left the parade, hours later, Billy held a flower that a drag queen dressed as Marilyn Monroe had given him. There were a couple of other things sent their way after that kiss, namely condoms, and a few LGBT buttons that Teddy had taken custody of. Billy gave Teddy the flower.

“As thanks.”

“You should keep it. It was your idea.”

“Is Teddy Altman scared of accepting a flower?”

“Is Billy Kaplan looking for a beating? The over-my-knee kind?”

“Oh God, did you see the S&M cart? All that  _leather_. It was, umm wow.”

“Hot.”

“Yeah..” Billy looked at the flower still stuck in his hand. “Um. Wana go back to my place?”

“That’s a little bold don’t you think? With your parents there.”

Billy rolled his eyes. “To get the  _makeup_  off, not  _you_.” When Teddy blushed, Billy almost melted in his spot.

*

Billy grabbed a couple of towels and a new bar of soap from the laundry room and went to see how Teddy was doing.

The sight of his mother, cotton balls in hand and bottle that had some sort of liquid or water  in it ,stopped him; She dabbing away at Teddy’s face. Teddy looked up when he saw him and grinned, prompting his mother to look at him, and frown.

“Billy were you going to use my pristine clean towels to wipe this off?”

Billy pinked, he was being scolded like a little kid in front of his boyfriend. If that didn’t invite embarrassment, he didn’t know what did. His mother shooed him away to place the towels back. On his way back he heard Teddy say something and his mother giggling, he groaned.

When both their faces were clean, Billy dragged Teddy to his bedroom to get some privacy before dinner.

Teddy kissed him, teeth biting and tongue soothing the bites on his lips. Billy’s arms circled Teddy’s waist, and his legs were on either side of Teddy’s right one, slowly wedging its way between them.

Billy tucked one of his hands inside Teddy’s jeans’ back pocket, and Teddy, laughing asked what he thought he was doing.

“Stealing the condoms.” He was almost breathless at that point, but the words managed to came out without trouble and he grinned.

Teddy responded by grabbing Billy’s ass and kneading it through the material of his jeans. Billy groaned and Teddy had to shush him before they were discovered by everyone in the house.

The sound of Teddy’s phone buzzing, made them spring apart. Billy scrambled to hide his erection while a frustrated Teddy went to check his phone.

“I’m sorry Billy, it’s an emergency. I need to leave.”

Billy tried not to let disappointment show on his face, and ran his fingers through his hair, wet sections of it sticking up in messy directions. “Yeah, I get it.”

“I’ll make it up to you alright?”

“Sure.”

“I mean it. Tomorrow, lunch at that Chinese place you like. That okay?”

“You don’t have to, you know.” But it was obvious that the promise made his mood improve, and a small smile played on his lips.

“I want to.”

Billy had to contend himself with a hug and one chaste kiss, before seeing Teddy off at the door. Watching Teddy walk away, his smile turned into a massive grin, prompting his mom to come over and see exactly what was so funny.

The flower stuck out of Teddy’s back pocket, swaying with his movement and then out of Billy’s sight.

*

Billy couldn’t contain all the feelings he was experiencing. After the failure that was their foray into the party scene, Teddy hadn’t initiated anymore dates. Which, while it made Billy thankful that there were no longer going to be any awkward sort of situations, was disinheriting because it made him feel like Teddy was just going along with his whims. It took a lot of effort to find a perfect time fitted around Teddy’s rather up and run schedule.

Then Teddy’s promise of Chinese at his favorite place at the mall happened, and about a third of his worries flew right out like a kite on high wind.

To celebrate the calming waves of his mind about his first relationship –and he suspected, to dispense wisdom and explain how he kept getting cockblocked- his mother took him out for shopping, hours before he had to meet Teddy.

The secret to shopping with parents and not letting them choose ugly ass shirts and pants for you, is to pine.

Grab a shirt for longer than 10 minutes, exhibit signs of anxiety and loss at the thought of not getting it, and lastly, agree to get the ugly ass shirts on the next shopping trip.

When Billy left his mom to pay for his shirts, he smirked, mouthing ‘ _works every time’_.

He worked his way through the café where his mother promised to keep him only long enough for a single Danish and a cup of Cappuccino to dispense themselves into her digestive system.

Billy would always remember this moment, and it would haunt him for years to come.

It was already ten minutes to three when his mother’s smiling figure, walking from the store, brandishing the shirt she got him with a little wave of the crinkled plastic bag, approached. The lights flickered on and off, and the roof came crashing down the center of the mall. Right where his mother stood, eyes wide, and hand reaching out to grab for him.

He would remember screaming as a light beam fell on her fragile body, and again as he watched her crumble amidst wood, wires and falling cement blocks. His physical memory is that of shards of glass on his face and in his hands and knees as he crawled to get to her. There were also the bruises he got from strangers pulling him back, and the painful ringing in his ear blocking everything.

The rest was all told to him. Like a dead man, Billy had only people’s memories of him to prove to him and others, that he existed in that moment.

Billy stayed at his mother’s side for four days, reliving the nightmare every moment of his stay. The first couple of days were a rush of blurred faces, repeated accounts and waves of condolences, as if he were in a funeral and people wanted to be the first to have expressed their sorrow at his loss.

On the third day, and Billy is sure he hallucinated this from lack of sleep and obvious head trauma that no one at the hospital detected, a 16 year old kid, calling himself Iron Lad came over to talk to him.

Billy listened with half a mind, trying to wake up from this dream, one eye trained on the nurse call switch. The kid left, doing him no harm, or his mother, but with the words ‘You’re a hero Billy, you have powers’ echoing in Billy’s head long after he was gone.

Billy spent the entire third night, holding on to his mother’s hand, crying his frustration and brimming guilt into them. He wondered about the kid, wondered about having powers, then clawed at his face for thinking something beyond the realm of reality. Reality was right in front of him, the lifeless, hurt figure of his mother attached to life support. The slight wheeze of breathing that the machine produced, combined with the sound of the pump going up and down.

He learned to count between each hopeful beep of the heart monitor, each perfect count buying his mother an extra minute of existence.

His only heroic deed, was being near enough to the body to identify it for burying and telling its story.

_‘My mother and I were out shopping. I..she took me there because I had a date.’_

His father’s hand clamping down on one shoulder and squeezing hard enough to leave bruises. Not saying anything, not saying ‘It’s your fault’, but asking him to stay there while he took care of the kids.

Teddy never showed up. Not amongst the crowds that were waiting outside, not at the hospital, and not even at his house. Nothing. Somehow, Billy felt that too was his fault.

He held on once more to his mother’s dying figure and begged God, or just anyone, to help save his mother. Billy was still chanting  _‘please be okay’_  when the sun came out on the fourth day.

His mother’s eyes flickered open.

*


	4. Chapter 4

***

The entire medical staff in the hospital –or so it seemed to Billy’s shocked mind- rushed to see why he was abusing the nurse call button. If Billy hadn’t believed in miracles before, this would have been his moment of true belief and he’d have considered a life of devotion to God.

The frantic movement to clear out the machines, remove IVs and replace them with others, was getting a confused look from his mother. She still looked tired, but she was no longer that frightening shade of pale blue. She noticed Billy watching her and managed a feeble smile for him.

The doctors wanted blood samples, hair samples, skin samples and who-know-what samples; to try and explain the sudden health jump his mother had went through, barely hours after the nurses had checked in on her.

Billy was grateful when his dad had walked in and held them at bay, prying them off his wife and asking that the family have some privacy.

“Do you know what day it is?”

“Dear, I’m fine. As far as I can tell, all the information I need to have, is there.”

“How many fingers am I holding up?”

“Don’t test my patience. Three fingers.”

Billy had never seen his dad like that, worried, back hunched. He’d been worried about his mom so much, he hadn’t seen how equally tired his dad looked. There was a bit of nervous energy coming from his dad’s side, as if he wanted to do something but wouldn’t. Or couldn’t. Billy stood up to give his parents some privacy. Besides, it was getting a little awkward seeing them like that.

“Stay.”

“Honey, he’s been sitting at that same chair for the past four days, he needs to rest.”

“Billy I want, no,  _need_  you to stay here and listen to what I have to say.”

“Mom, I’m so sorry, I know that if it weren’t for me-”

“Billy Kaplan, you saved my life. So no more apologizing. There’s no guilty party in this. It happened. But during my coma, the only voice I kept hearing, was yours. I wanted to be okay, just because I heard you say that, I  _was_  okay because you said those words. Now come here and give me a hug.”

Billy latched onto his mom, kicking the inner voice that kept asking him how many 18 year olds hugged their mothers. He heard his mother murmuring in his hair and stilled.

“It was almost like you had healing powers.”

“Honey are you  _sure_  you’re okay?”

Exasperated, his mother looked from him to his dad, and nodded at him. “Go catch some sleep, your dad is going to have a heart attack if he doesn’t get to nurse me back to health himself.”

Billy gave her a small smile, not feeling up to any joke regarding his parents’ health. His dad gave him some money and told him to order dinner for himself and his brothers, who were being watched by their neighbor Suzan. He nodded and headed outside, getting his first fresh lungful of air since he got to the hospital. He began to walk.

The trip home wasn’t eventful by any stretch of the imagination, and left Billy with ample time to think on a few things. Mainly the funny coincidence of that dream he had about someone telling him he had powers, and his mother telling him she believed he healed her.

True, he’d noticed instances where weird things would happen if he willed them to happen in his head, but that had just been God at action, right? Right.

It didn’t hurt to try though.

He slowed his footsteps, and stared at the nearest tree visible from the park. He thought to himself ‘ _I want you to fall_ ’. Billy then rushed to save the tree from his stupidity, muttering ‘great, kill nature and some poor idiot in the park to prove a point, Kaplan.’

Suzan fussed over him when he got home, commenting about his color and did he happen to lose weight and how horrible it was to be away from his mother. His brothers had already ate dinner, one of the million casseroles they kept receiving. Suzan informed him that she’d already tucked them into their beds.

Billy kicked her out with a gentle smile, unfelt gratitude and hoped he didn’t see her again until his mother was back in the house.

He ordered pizza, and went to grab a shower until it got there, thinking all the while about how to try out a definitive experiment that would prove once and for all, whether he did or didn’t have any powers. He looked at the line up of shampoos, bath gels and scrubs, trying to spot his own.

“I wish there wasn’t so much clutter.”

A strong jet of water from the shower head, shot forth, moving the head from it’s  leaning position towards the wall, to the side where all the bottles were.

Billy backed away from the water, and saw it sweep most of the bottles away to the floor, before the shower head spluttered and the water stopped. Billy looked at the side to see that only his shampoo had survived the blast of water. He looked at the shower head again, dripping water. He tried the taps, but found that there was no use, there wasn’t any water at all.

“Great, now I broke the shower too.”

The doorbell rang. Billy hurried out of the bathroom, bath unfinished and scrambled to put some clothes on.

He looked through the peephole and found the pizza guy, looking bored, a box in his hand. He opened the door, paid him and grabbed the pizza.

The kid was older than him, maybe in college, and Billy could have sworn he was being checked out. Which, in light of recent events was a relief, but also unwelcome. He took forever to find the right change, and grabbed Billy’s palm to place it in. Billy yanked his arm before that could happen, sending the small change flying to the ground.

“I- Sorry. Didn’t mean to-”

“It’s alright, my bad. Shouldn’t have grabbed you like that.” He waved his hand in Billy’s direction, stopping him from moving forward, and bent to collect the fallen change. “Here you go. Have a goodnight.”

“Um, you too. Thanks”

Billy closed the door behind him. He picked up the box of pizza from where he’d left it and wondered about how fast it had arrived.

Pluming expert he was not, so Billy went back to the bathroom, turned off the taps completely and decided it was a freak accident.

He sat in front of the TV, opened the box and chewed on a slice of pizza. Billy kept flipping channels, with his free hand on the remote, still pretty occupied with the thought of what would be actual proof that he had powers.

Or lacked powers, which was more believable.

“Help me out here. A hint would be good, any hint, even a small hint.” Billy didn’t really have an audience in mind for his plea, and he decided soon that he was being too dramatic, and lowered his eyes from their staring point at the ceiling.

His fingers stopped clicking away, and settled on channel 39, where Judy Garland’s voice greeted his ears, chanting ‘There’s no place like home’.

It was like a light bulb had just flickered into life and shone all its light on Billy’s head. He abandoned his pizza and ran up the stairs to the bathroom.

Just to be sure, Billy tried all the taps again, and when nothing but spittle made its presence, he turned them off again.

He decided to do away with clicking his feet together, if only because authenticity would demand he went first and located a red sequined pump to try this. Also it would be embarrassing, and then mortifying if this didn’t work. He struggled with how to word his exact request, then settled on a line.

“I want the shower to work, I want the shower to work, I want the shower to work.”

There was a small ‘pop’ that felt a little out of place in the bathroom, then there was a faint tingling sensation at the tips of Billy’s fingers.

He tried the cold water tap.

Icy cold drops met the warmth of his palm, collecting in a pool, before slipping off the side.

Billy passed out.

*

Waking up, he noted that the shower was still on. The continuous spray of water serving as a reminder as to what had just happed. He touched his head and felt for a lump, sure enough, the minute he touched the base of his head, it throbbed and pain blossomed beneath his eyelids. Billy groaned, and slowly picked himself up from the bathroom floor. He turned off the water and reached for the medicine cabinet, where he grabbed two Tylenol tablets.

After the initial shock wore off, Billy decided to try again. Somewhere where landing would be soft though.

He went back to his room and wished it clean. A few things vibrated from their place on the floor, then dropped back again, colors on the handles of his drawers shined and then regressed back to oxidized metal. ‘ _Hmm too vague’_.

He wished his entire collection of comics was alphabetically ordered, something he never managed to find the time for, because each time he picked up an issue, he went through it again and lost that train of thought.

It took less than 10 seconds for the entire collection to re-arrange itself, swashes of blue light flashing before his eyes, like millions of photographs being taken at the same time.

Billy will always remember the first time he saw that blue flame of magic, the sight itself was breathtaking and the fact that this same light lived in some core of his body, made it warm, familiar and safe.

Knowing for sure now that he had powers, Billy couldn’t contain his glee long enough to seriously consider the implications of having unregistered powers, which he’d apparently already used to create a ‘miracle’ of sorts in the intensive care unit. The exhilarating feeling of having something special, a talent, something not quite matched to other heroes, was like swimming in a river whose dam just broke. It was a rush of heavy weight pushing you back from the sheer idea of it, let alone its actual size. True that the Scarlet Witch had similar powers and yes he idolized her, but this? This was too real for comics now, too real for any dream he’d had and hoped for. Billy looked down at his hands, an alien feeling taking over his senses. Was it amazement? Pride? Or a new form of respect? Whatever it was, it was bubbling to the very surface of his skin, threatening to break the it and overtake him.

He wondered if he should tell someone. He wasn’t exactly big on secrets, his only one had been his sexuality, and even that appeared to have been no secret at all to his parents. Then again, his clue into figuring out his powers was the  _Wizard of Oz_ , so maybe he wasn’t the least bit subtle about that one secret.

But this one was different right? Who would believe him? It was  _crazy_. Heck, even  _he_  –mastermind of all things science fiction and alternative realties- kept questioning himself at every step to make sure they weren’t pure hallucinations, else his parents would check him  _in_. He’d spent the better half of two days and a night thinking all of this was purely in his head, coming out of tremendous shock, stress and a near death experience for him and his mother.

Too bad he didn’t have the Avengers on speed dial. Not that he hadn’t tried once to send a heartfelt letter asking about the location of the Avengers’ headquarters and possibly their contact info for their number one fan –others may disagree on this point, but no one had been able to beat him on #Marvel trivia hour for the past 4 consecutive years-. Needles to say, his request was denied in the shape of no answer.

The choice was easy, there wasn’t much to choose from in the first place. His parents were a no-go at this point, baring his mother’s current health issue, there was a reason he’d kept mum about being gay, and that had everything to do with acceptance.

Telling your twin brothers that you had powers, was as anti climatic as telling them you had fish for dinner. At that age? They thought everyone had powers, their imagination building up an entire universe of nothing but heroes.

Andy was out of the question for obvious food related reasons, leaving only one person.  Billy located his phone and looked up Teddy’s phone number.

Billy decided to call. He convinced himself of a million reasons as to why Teddy hadn’t called him, visited him, or spoken to him about anything to do with why he might have stood him up. There was also about a million things to tell Teddy, and Billy had a feeling that if there was a person who might believe for a second that Billy might be a hero, it would be Teddy.

Why though? He had no idea. If Billy was forced to come up with an answer, he’d talk about how true and real he was around Teddy. He acted the way he’d always felt restricted acting, they’d shared a parade, intimate moments and a relationship chosen solely by themselves. Teddy would understand because Billy believed he would, Teddy would come to terms with it and see it as their secret, and not just his.

Of course, this was bigger than both of them sharing theft of a cookie jar, but it must fall under some category of comradeship, right? Maybe he could wish Teddy some powers. Then again, maybe not, he didn’t want to abuse this power.

He dialed the number from memory, waiting for that third ring and Teddy’s familiar voice on the other end. Billy’s heart was beating, it seemed, right in his throat and making it very hard to swallow.

On the second ring, the phone was picked up, and a voice that didn’t remotely resemble Teddy’s answered.

“Yo!”

Billy’s shock took a backseat to the urgent need to explain, converse and not come off as a tool or a wrong number. “Um. Is Teddy there?”

“Yeah, Teddy’s asleep though. Who’re you? So I can tell him when he wakes up?”

Billy hung up.

Breathing become a chore. What he’d wanted to ask was ‘ _who are_ you!’ but he didn’t. He was stunned by the fact that his number hadn’t had an I.D. attached to it, a nickname, an anything for the person to address him by. He was stuck on the fact this complete stranger had picked up Teddy’s phone, had even informed him that Teddy was sleeping and indirectly told him he’d still be there when Teddy woke up.

Billy was shocked to hear his own voice talk back to him.

Snatches of conversations, words came flooding back to him, as if his mind had been keeping a tally.

_“He looks a lot like..”_

_“Yeah, the resemblance is striking.”_

_“My ex.”_

_“He’s just a friend from summer camp. You’re not really identical or anything. It’s just an impression.”_

_“Do you always part your hair like this?”_

Billy chocked down on his tears, and wondered how long he’d been a replacement for the real thing.

*


	5. Chapter 5

***

Billy curled into a fetal position on his bed.

The short call was replying over and over in his head, his strained eyes slowly blinking away the last bits of moisture. Billy wondered if he had run dry then, then thought with a bit of biting dark humor, he could always wish his ducts were filled again.

He’d cried, for two solid minutes, and then lost all feeling. He looked at his hands and promised to not cry about it. It was better that way, now he wouldn’t worry his parents, could focus on what really mattered, his family.

So what if he had a secret? So what if he had powers untapped, unexplored and entirely too foreign? It wasn’t him that Teddy was looking for. It was a version out there that could speak its mind, party, and that could force Teddy to come running with a call, a single word. All Billy could guarantee out of Teddy, were promises. They were in every date, in every touch and in every conversation. Promises and promises, to meet tomorrow, to touch today, to listen now. Promises that meant Billy would keep hanging on every breathe, waiting to hear them and grabbing onto their lifeline.

Their last promise was left unfulfilled, ‘ _maybe Teddy didn’t show up because he didn’t want to_ ’, became Billy’s new mantra for the night. Every time Billy heard it, his shoulders grew colder and his neck, which had grown stiff above his shoulders, felt like it would snap at any moment.

His stomach growled and Billy howled with laughter. With strained, sarcastic laughter. You’d think this sort of pain would make all your body functions shut down, that you wouldn’t live or survive another moment in life, but just how human and stubborn you are, plows through.

He was glad he bought pizza. Chewing on the now cold slices kept his mind focused on the grease, the cheese and the comfort of mechanical movement.

Billy forced his mind to consider subjects that had nothing to do with Teddy. Which was easy in theory, he had a bigger self discovery to consider. But each little shrug of disinterest in thinking about the origins of his powers, was like playing snake and getting trapped in a return ladder, your pace lost, and back to square one you went.

At least they hadn’t gone all the way. Billy was sure he’d never be able to live this abrupt break-up if he’d lost his first time to Teddy. Teddy who probably lost his virginity in middle school. Probably scored more sex than touchdowns. Billy bit into his pizza with vengeance. He wasn’t bitter.

Billy screwed his eyes shut and tried to envision exactly where his powers might have come from. Distant relatives that looked like they could be half breeds, and not just naturally butt ugly stood like a criminal lineup in his head, but failed to meet basic hero criteria.

That was a nice thought, a good looking superhero. At least that went his way.

Right. Fat good it did him if there was an exact replica walking around with his face.

‘ _Focus, powers’_.

He must have some relation to Thor though, right? He did have lightning, that’s the only thing he was sure the blue waves were, static energy. But then the wishing was sort of a magic attribute, right? But then again, just to think he might actually have any direct relation, or correlation if you will, with Asgard? Damn.

 _Hot_   _damn_. What if Thor was directly related to him? What if being a nerd for Norse mythology, was just hunger for actual ancestral history? Billy smiled a little at the thought. His darker ones pressing still on his mind, but keeping that one thought from getting to his head was as impossible as breaking his  _inFamous_  Hero meter. The irony of wishing for something so hard, not knowing you had the power to grant such a wish.

Sometimes, being a nerd was really lonely.

The minute Billy said it, was the minute he’d regressed back into thinking about Teddy. Killing every single thought process as affectively as pulling the electric plug on a computer. He was back to that first square. His eyes burned a little, the rims less fleshy and soft across his eyes. Blinking hurt.

Billy went to sleep on the couch, pizza box and TV left open, hands folded over his heart.

*

His mom was back in the house, under strict orders to rest and not work. Billy applied himself to her service, and to his studies. It was the last wind now, pushing through the boost and taking the test were all that was left. Andy came over once to steal his strategies for passing the College Board exams, but left with nothing but heartburn from eating all of the friend chicken. His subjects were almost all over with now, and graduation loomed like a small cloud over his head.

Billy wondered if wishing prom night out of existence would work, and whether he’d be able to live with himself if he ruined the happiness of all those students graduating with him and Teddy; just because he couldn’t stomach the thought of seeing Teddy go there with someone else. Someone else being inclusive of Billy’s clone.

It wasn’t just that though, it wasn’t just Teddy Altman in possible danger of Billy’s hurt feelings; it was like Billy wanted to do justice to himself, from all old accounts. The night before, he’d suddenly had the urge to go find John Kesler from his previous high school and beat the crap out of him.

He sighed, figuring out the moral cut off for his powers was proving to be exhausting work. If only there was someone who could just dispense that line to him, like uncle Ben. Talk about an incentive to bring him back from the dead, that was one right there.

And then Billy remembered. That night at the hospital. It couldn’t have been a figment of his imagination, not when he did eventually discover that he actually did have powers.

Figuring out this entire puzzle wouldn’t be possible unless he found Iron Lad, and fast.

Billy pushed his chair away from his desk, and twirling the pen in his right hand he cast a spell. Locating spells must have been the second most fantastic thing Billy had discovered he had. In the past three days he’d worked himself into a frenzy of reading, going through several comics and several books, especially ones related to Norse fables. He gave himself several codenames, wondering how each of them fit, and upgraded his name from Wishbone to Spellcaster for more accuracy.

In the end it was pretty clear that he had combined powers from such figures as Thor and the Scarlet Witch from the Avengers. Little unknown fact about him? He only worshiped the very _ground_  the Scarlet Witch walked on. Billy could also distinctly remember a dream he had where he met her outside of the -previously depleted- Avengers Mansion, and telling her so. Which Billy was glad was a dream, as he probably would never live that moment of fanboyism down.

His powers were a little wonky at first –still were on occasion- so the results always seemed to vary with his spells. Sometimes he’d need to chant the spell for several more times for it to take effect, and others it happened in a matter of seconds. Thankfully, it was the later this time.

*

The pen he was twirling fell out of his hand the minute his body hit the barrier outside of the Avenger’s mansion. His head throbbed and his back ached from the fall. ‘ _Of course the Avenger’s HQ had some form of security to ward off unwanted visitors’_.

The minute Billy had finished that thought, a shadow loomed over him.

“Tommy?”

Billy looked up, and tried to resist the urge to rub his eyes in disbelief, pinch his arm to wake up from a dream, and launch himself at Captain America, in that order. He was in so much shock, Billy didn’t even register the name he was called with just then.

“Or not. Who are you young man?” Captain America raised one eyebrow, clearly intrigued by the fact that Billy was gaping at him like a fish, and looking like he was no threat at all to the safety of the building he’d just smacked into.

“I-I’m. Sir, it’s such an honor, sir! I’m a big fan. No! I mean, yes! I am a fan but that’s obviously not why I’m here because that would be stalking and actually yes of course I- sir, is there-. I am looking for someone actually, not like for a signature. I. Can I start over sir?”

“Do you have business here then?”

“Yes! Um…is Iron Lad here?”

Captain America’s eyes widened slightly, recognizing the name. Billy wondered if that made him seem more suspicious in the Hero’s mind, or an extreme fan.

“Why don’t you come in, and tell me how you know Iron Lad?”

Billy kept a handle on his overflowing excitement –barely- and nodded, not trusting his mouth not to run off ahead of him. Captain America nodded back, and motioned for him to follow.

They walked until they reached the main gate, where Captain America punched in a few numbers for the security code, and ushered him in.

Nervousness settled in the minute Billy passed the outer gate, it was suddenly too real to be any of his dreams, and the events were speeding full throttle before him. Why hadn’t Captain America just told him where Iron Lad was? He looked at the broad back of the man walking in front of him and in spite of himself, felt a bit of fear. They walked into the main building, but before Billy could get a good look around, Captain America steered him by the shoulders towards a room at the side, presumably his office.

It wasn’t like Billy was expecting a grand tour or anything, but this made the feeling that no all was nice and rosy about his situation, a lot more apparent. He chose to settle down on the chair quick, to try and dispel all notions of his being a threat. Billy hadn’t exactly planned this, nor was it a situation he’d found himself in even in his wildest dreams, but it was clear that for now at least, he needed to just come out and say it.

“What’s your name?”

“I’m Billy, Billy Kaplan.”

Captain America saved him the agony of a long silent wait by repeating his earlier statement, having established his identity. “So, Billy you said? What do you know about Iron Lad? What business do you have with him?”

Billy took a deep breathe before launching into their encounter and his story, keeping it uncharacteristically brief. “-so then, after that, I kept wondering exactly where I got the powers from, and what I should use them for. I thought since Iron Lad knew about my real powers, he’d be able to tell me more, or help out in other ways. I just used a locating spell, I didn’t know he was an Avenger.”

“He’s not.”

“He…isn’t?” For a minute, panic almost took over Billy’s entire body. If Iron Lad wasn’t an Avenger, then why did his spell send him here? And why was Captain America interested in him then?

“Iron Lad might have told you this, since you yourself aren’t exactly sure how much you remember of that night, but he is the younger version of Kang the Conqueror. He’s been known to slip into the timeline from time to time and warn the Young Avengers. Iron Lad first came to this very building to recruit the Young Avengers based on a database he found, programmed into The Vision.”

At Billy’s stunned silence, something in Captain America’s stance until that moment in time, softened a bit. “We haven’t actively sought to use the database ourselves, and while Iron Lad isn’t an Avenger, he was a former –if briefly- Young Avenger, and so, his actions aren’t without purpose.”

“But what does that mean for me Captain? Why did the spell send me here?”

“It’s obvious, isn’t it?”

Billy looked at him quizzically, not sure where he was going with that statement. The older man only sighed.

“For the time being Billy, welcome to the Young Avenger’s team.”

Billy was still riding on the magical carpet of how surreal his life suddenly was, when Captain America told him that first, they’d need to pass by Dr. Strange, before Billy would be allowed to meet the team. While this wasn’t exactly thrilling news, what with the testing and the prodding, it gave Billy a chance to really get to know more about his powers.

His face was flush with excitement he’d never felt the likes of before, it was all in his upper body, in his stride to Dr. Strange’s office, and it brushed lightly over his heart.

The tests were quite clinical, blood sample here, a ball of energy aimed there, and a brief physical where Dr. Strange was immediately able to pick up on his one weakness with the powers. The need to directly voice his demands clearly for his powers to process the spell in the first place. Though there was still no evidence to the contrary, Dr. Strange let him know it was quite unlikely that he was related to the God of Thunder, but there was no doubt that their powers held similarities. On the topic of the Scarlet Witch, he remained mute, which Billy had to chalk up to the way in which she’d parted and the reasons behind her disappearance.

None of it dampened Billy’s spirits, he doubted he’d find something that could possibly ruin this day for him, the day he felt every bit as special as any hero –and occasional villain- he’d read about.

Captain America passed by him again, hovering in that protective stance he always adopted near people. Captain America stood a foot away, discussing Billy with Dr. Strange, nodding every minute or so and talking back. He shared a small smile with Billy, and tilted his head to indicate Billy follow him.

“They’ve been out of practice for a while now. I’m sure you’ll find a warm welcome from the team.”

Billy resisted the increasingly pressing desire to ask Captain America for his signature, a pose or a picture, and tried to focus on his words. He was half sure that if he really paid attention to what Captain America was implying, the weakness in his knees was going to make them give.

The minute they walked into the main gathering room, where the Young Avengers were kicking back after their session, Billy’s entire fantasy, his elation, and happiness, flew out the window.

Captain America, oblivious friendly soul that he was, went on to introduce them all. “Everyone, I’d like you to meet Billy Kaplan. As of today, Billy is part of this team. The circumstances being what they are at the moment, I’ll wait until the Avengers have gathered to brief everyone about this new development; please make him feel welcome until then.” He pushed Billy further inside, thinking it was Billy’s shyness keeping him at the door, and then left. For a few moments, the only sound in the room was that of the closing door’s echo. Billy almost lamented the irony of Captain America not introducing the team to him since he was such a fanboy.

If he only knew.

The faces that greeted him were those of Eli, Kate, Cassie, a vaguely familiar face, and  _Teddy_.

“This has got to be some sick joke.” Only when the words were out of Billy’s mouth, did he realize he’d said them. He almost clamped a hand over his mouth, but found that both his hands were clenched in fists, his rage bypassing its basic thought process and rushing into pure undulating emotion.

The expressions in the room were an explosive arrangement of shock, dismay, amusement, and indifference. Billy couldn’t even begin to decipher the expression on Teddy’s face. There was something dark in face, and for one insightful moment, Billy thought he saw hurt flittering across his expression.

“So what are your powers then? You another shapeshifter? Though I gotta say, showing up with that face, you’ve at least got better taste than this one.”

“Tommy shut up!”

“What’s the matter with all of you?”

“I. Billy..I didn’t know-”

“Just. Just stop Teddy.”

“Is he the..?”

“Whoa, you telling me that’s his real face? Hey Ted! How do you know this guy?”

Teddy seemed to splutter for an answer, suddenly swamped by the stares directed at him, from Cassie, who seemed to have clued in on something, to Eli and Kate, and the way they were waiting for him to handle the situation. Finally there was Tommy, who couldn’t seem to put a sock in it.

“Wait,  _wait._  You’re that  _guy_! The dude who called, aren’t you? Teddy this is just sick man. I mean, I know you can’t have enough of me, but to grab an extra dose from someone who looks a bit like me? Gross.”

The sudden tension created in the room by Tommy’s words didn’t remain unbroken for long, not when the coffee table he was sitting on the edge of, snapped into two, seemingly for no apparent reason. Not that Billy would have volunteered any other answer.

Speed being Speed, he managed to survive the table split. It was silly, it was even idiotic if Billy thought about it, he’d been holding back for the sake of this ‘perfect’ version of himself that Teddy seems to be back with now, to hold it in and accept it and embrace their breakup. Now that he’d seen this version, Billy was going to make sure Teddy’s love life was a living hell. As soon as he got over the fact that all of Teddy’s friends were in on this, and were the  _Young Avengers_.

‘Oh.  _OH. Hulking._ ’ Before Billy’s mind could snap and manage to destroy every piece of furniture in the Avenger’s HQ, Captain America returned. Which was well actually, as he discovered that he’d zoned out while everyone else was panicking about the table and screaming unrelated things, just so none of them had to address the Billy sized elephant in the room.

“Billy. We’ve arranged for you to stay a few days here while we decided on our next course of action. Iron Man isn’t available at the moment, and until we have all the members, we won’t be able decide on exactly how we’re going to proceed with having you in the team; this as well as what it means that Iron Lad has come back in the timeline simply to choose you.”

“Arranged, sir?”

“Camp. Please inform your family this is an intensive camp to prepare you for your upcoming exam.  It’s a temporary arrangement, you’d have to stay for three days at most. We also have someone else coming to see your progress and results from Dr. Strange’s examination.”

“Uh. Temporary Captain?”

“You’ll be glad to know you’re sharing a room with one of our best, Hulking.”

The internal scream that Billy let out, was thankfully not audible enough to elicit any response from Captain America, nor drive him to enquire as to why he’d refuse the company of a great hero, one whom he’d never met before. Billy replied with a strained ‘Yes, sir’ and watched as the man gave him one of those dazzling smiles, that at any other time, might have had Billy running in a daze from its sheer brilliance.

Kate didn’t stay at the HQ, nor did Eli, both of whom found that to be the perfect excuse to say their goodbyes as soon as the Captain left, and rush out of the building.

Which meant that Billy was stuck with his ex, and his ex’s ex, who happened to be back with him now. A quick look at Vision told him all he needed to know, he couldn’t possibly sleep in a closet.

In his desperation, Billy was just about two seconds away from asking Cassie if she didn’t mind to share, but was interrupted by her announcing that her mother expected her home for a family dinner.

“Nice to meet you!” Billy watched her leave and felt dread settling in. There was a lot to think about, to process, and he figured the faster he was out of the company of the two left in front of him, the better he’d feel. Not a large problem it seemed, as Teddy was dragged away by Tommy for something important. Billy chose not to look at Teddy, or see how this was affecting him.

He stood next to the broken table and wondered if the table was beyond repair yet.

*

It was eerily quiet. Not a  fair description though, as he could hear muffled conversation from the other side, and the sound of teacups trying to settle on a metal tray. But Billy liked to feel dramatic on this special day.

But then the weight of it all began to set in. Happiness, elation, awe and admiration, all fading away as the effect of adrenaline faded. Billy tried not to resort to anger, the now familiar emotion crushing his spirits entirely, he wanted to believe there was still a part of him that could be saved in this new development.

That’s when bitterness set in.

He absently flicked his wrist and fixed the table, cranky magic leaving it with an obvious crack where it had split. Billy sat on the couch and tried to make sense of things.

*


	6. Chapter 6

***

When Billy opened his eyes, he was already in a bed, within a double room. It wasn’t exactly the Hilton inside the Avenger’s HQ, but he supposed it could do.

He also remembered that there was no possible way that he’d managed to tuck himself in, when he’d obviously fainted right after that tiny bit of magic. He wondered if he’d have to start thinking about magic reserves, or if that was a one off thing because he’d been exhausted mentally.

So then, who carried him to bed?

Billy tried to kill the insistent voice in his head that kept supplying him with Teddy’s name, and settled with Jarvis, if the very empty bed next to his was any sign.

He soon discovered that that was the theme of the entire day. Billy couldn’t locate a single Young Avenger soul within an inch of the Avengers HQ. Which, granted, would usually mean they were giving him space, and that this should give him the time he needed to sort out what he thought needed sorting out.

But Billy wasn’t most normal hormonal teens. Billy had tasted the sweet and sour taste of first love, and the giant delicacy that was Teddy Altman. If he was bitter the night before, he was downright possessive and jealous that morning. Every waking hour within the circle of Teddy’s secret life, gnawed at him with bright green jealousy, of the likes he’d never seen before, it was enough to start him chewing on his own clothes.

Every question about the whereabouts of Teddy, brought his unpleasant doppelganger’s whereabouts to question as well. Billy looked at his fingers just as he was about to tear a piece of skin off of them, and stopped. He was regressing into nervous habits and that wasn’t okay.

He was going into withdrawals. Billy resisted the urge to call this pathetic, as it was quite clear he shouldn’t be anywhere near drug therapy terminology, you can’t have withdrawals from something if you’ve never taken it. You can’t miss what you didn’t have.

The bed was empty. Proof enough right?

Not that they were married or anything. Not that Billy was expecting some grand apology on one knee and the proposal of a lifetime together to make up for all this emotional trauma.

Certainly not because Billy was stopping himself from wishing it so hard it that he was getting a migraine from fighting off the mental temptation.

Billy decided that the only way he was going to escape those destructive thoughts, was by finding an equally straining activity. He did what he’d been putting off since he woke up and found he’d passed out the night before. He called his parents.

If Billy thought he was ready for the Spanish inquisition to take place on the other side of the phone, he was dead wrong. The Kaplan inquisition put it to shame, its topics ranging from how authentic this little camp was, to the names of the great grandparents of all the kids included in this little camp, to the adults, and whether any one of them had a Rap sheet. Billy almost chocked at the irony of his mother questioning the Avenger’s about their criminal record, and filed this joke away.

He was done laughing though, when his mom successfully found his funky emotional bone and asked about Teddy. Seconds before he spilled his emotional distress via the phone line, Billy caught movement out of the corner of his eyes. He decided against turning into an emotional puddle while talking to his mom about his ex-boyfriend, where people could see him. He told his mom as much, though not in so many words, and clicked off.

Billy was surprised, and largely unimpressed, to find Tommy standing in front of him. Not least of all because he wasn’t in uniform, and defiantly not because they looked roughly –who was he even kidding- the same. Definitely not because it would be weird if he thought Tommy was anything that could be described as anything, let alone handsome.

Oh God, he’d called him that before, hadn’t he? In front of Teddy, hadn’t he? No wonder Teddy’s lips kept twitching, who knew Billy was such a narcissist?

Tommy brought him out of his reverie by being the blunt little thing that he was.

“Telling people the Young Avengers are being mean to you?”

“Is eavesdropping another one of your talents? I mean, besides the one where you take people’s personal phone calls for them.”

“Chill, I was only trying to break the ice.”

“I think you just sawed right through it.”

“You take things way too seriously, don’t you?”

“And you have the emotional capacity of a trout, don’t you?”

“Ouch. Someone woke up on the wrong side of bed. Speaking of, how’d you find mine?”

“You’re unbelievable. I can’t believe you actually said  _that_.”

“Said what? You’re really confusing, you know that? No wonder Teddy’s all freaked about you showing up.”

“Too much information? I don’t want to hear about you  _two_. If you don’t mind, I’d really like to make use of my solitary exile.” Billy ground on his back molars, barely keeping himself in check from blasting Tommy’s perfect teeth into a state of dust.

There was a weird expression on Tommy’s face, but Billy recognized it because he’d often worn the same expression; only, it looked under-used when Tommy had it on his face, twitching facial muscles and all giving tell-tale signs.

It was dumbfoundedness.

“Now what?”

“When you say you two..are you..?”

“Am I insinuating that, yes, despite you being his ex-boyfriend, you’re now back together? Yes. Don’t get too comfortable though, I’m not out of the picture quite yet.”

Tommy’s face went a dark shade of green, usually bordering on murky yellow and browns. Billy was no reality expert, but he wondered if Tommy was trying to achieve frothing at the mouth in an expression of illness.

“I’m gonna fucking kill him. You know what? You two morons deserve each other.”

Tommy left in the blink of an eye, Billy stood there wondering where that comment had come from.

*

Tony Stark, also known as Iron Man, took a rain check on the meeting. He called it a minor problem with a nuclear plant, everyone else called it a level 10 emergency with high risk rates. Spiderman refused to go near it, while Vision was coming up with new probabilities for villains with ridiculous powers born out of the merge of radiation, a corn and a lousy human specimen. 

It was cool for about five minutes, then the problem was solved, and the Avengers saved the day. Billy found himself –again- sitting out the action and just waiting for something, anything at all.

His waiting was rewarded by the awkward appearance of the Young Avengers striding purposefully towards him. Teddy was in the very back of the pack, with Tommy and Kate leading the way. Cassie was looking a bit miffed, and Eli was looking anywhere but at Billy as they approached.

“We need to talk.”

Billy was somewhat startled by the very direct approach they were taking in informing him of what he thought was, his impending eviction.

“Okay. I thought it was about time anyway.”

“Right.” Tommy rolled his eyes, clearly knowing Billy misunderstood their intentions.

“Teddy. Skulking in the back won’t get you anywhere. To the front.” Kate tilted her head, almost glaring at Teddy to make her point.

Billy acted indifferent, but he was a bundle of nervous energy, every twitch on the team’s side, was met by one of his own.

If Billy wasn’t so nervous, he would have found the entire situation hilarious. Especially the part where Teddy’s massive frame quivered under the pressure of Kate’s authority. There was something endearing about all that cool persona and defined muscle, standing in a pool of awkward in front of the only person with no supernatural abilities.

It took about a minute for Teddy to move to the front of the pack, shuffling along with hands in his pockets, not looking straight ahead. To Billy, it took an eternity. Hours before, he’d even entertained the notion of never seeing Teddy again, not in this life time, and not after he left the Avengers.

“Okay. Now, you two idiots need to work this shit out, while we go grab some lunch. For the sake of all that’s holly, keep the destruction of our furniture to a minimum.”

“What Tommy’s trying to say, is that there seems to be misunderstandings on each side, and it is unhealthy to not talk about it.”

“I don’t think that’s anyone’s business.”

“Our favorite coffee table, our fridge’s wiring, our now static radio and sleeping arrangement, all suggest otherwise.”

Everyone looked at Eli, wondering about the sanity of his contribution to the argument.

“Teddy, you need to tell him. Hiding things from the people around you isn’t okay, you can’t give me this sort of advice and not follow it yourself.”

“We’re also securing the room so neither of you leave before that happens.”

“You can’t jus-”

“Watch me.  _If_  you can keep up that is.”

Sure enough on Tommy’s cue, the room was sans all but Billy and Teddy.

Billy actually considered following them for a moment, because the sudden shift of air in the room did nothing to his already mounting confusion and escalating frustration.

“Sorry about the guys.” Teddy looked decidedly sheepish, a little apologetic about his friends, but without looking Billy in the eyes, Billy couldn’t be sure if he was slipping him an apology for something else as well.

“You could have said something.”

“About this ambush meeting? I didn’t know about this. Honest.”

Waving his hands around, Billy started what he’d call his own series of informative hand gestures. “Not  _that_. Not that it isn’t nice to know I wasn’t set up for the second time.”

“Oh?”

“You know what I mean.”

“No, I can’t honestly say I do.” Whatever bashfulness Billy thought he saw at the start of this conversation, quickly disappeared from Teddy’s stance and speech.

“First with the party and then here on the first day.”

“That’s, there was no connection! We didn’t plan any of this, none of us are out to play a joke on you.”

“You and him.” Billy was surprised at the vehemence in his tone, but couldn’t retract the statement.

“Yes, I mean  _no_. Well, about that. Actually. You should hear me out. I never meant for this to come out this way. Tommy’s actually been swearing black and blue streaks of cuss words at me for this. Tommy’s straight.”

“He’s straight.” At Billy’s lack of interest, it was obvious that Teddy’s explanation hadn’t hit the correct note he was looking for.

“As in, he’s never- look, I made it up.” Teddy grimace was noticeable from a mile away.

“What possessed you to say that! Do you know? Do you have any moronic idea what you put me through? I feel like an idiot now. No wonder he kept looking at me like I was pulling this stuff out of my ass.”

“I wanted some sort of reaction? For a while I wasn’t sure if you even liked me.”

“Are you on drugs? Because-” Billy clamped a hand over his mouth, it wouldn’t do to sound desperate and say I only worshipped the very air around you. He remembered what that small hand wave had done to him and fought not to blush.

“Because?”

Ignoring the question, Billy launched into an accusing fest of his own. “But you kept comparing us. Speaking of which, I couldn’t help but notice the too obvious resemblance we share. Isn’t that why you asked me how I parted my hair?”

“Billy. B, I’ve had a crush on you ever since you transferred. That was about the same time I met Tommy. Who just happened to have the same face as my crush, but lacked his dashing personality. This was just because I was used to seeing him everyday in a closer proximity, I don’t even know why I asked, but I kept wondering if you kept any similar habits, at all. Which was stupid evidently by the party.”

“That sort of makes some messed up sense but I don’t think it makes up for anything.” The flick of the wrist was sort of accidental, and Billy didn’t know where to stuff his hands, so he just crossed them over his chest, trying to look defiant.

“It did at that time. I thought us dating was going to be a passing thing for you, so when I saw you chatting with the guy from the party, I just snapped.”

“Was not coming over to the date also some messed up revenge you forgot to extract on me?”

“Oh God. B, I’m really sorry about your mom. I don’t know if you remember much, but the Avengers and Young Avengers were responsible for the safety of everyone after the crash. At that time, I really thought you hadn’t arrived yet, because it was too early, but the minute I found out…”

“You didn’t do anything. I was at the hospital for three days, and I didn’t see you, talk to you or hear anything from you.”

“That’s not fair to assume.” Teddy’s voice broke a little, one of his hands had slid into his short strands of hair, and was probably unconsciously clutching them harder than necessary for a nervous habit.

“Enlighten me?” Billy voice lost some of its heat when he witnessed the change, Teddy’s constant mood swings seemed to have a direct effect on the way each of the laid out points were playing out.

“I think I’m too ashamed to actually admit it. I thought about a million ways to explain this but, I guess keeping it vague was just something I learned to do. You didn’t know I was an Avenger and it was too much at that moment. I..I thought I failed you and your mom, and the feeling was harder on me than I ever thought possible. Even harder than when I lost my mother.”

“Wait. Your mom? I thought you said…”

“Well, I said a lot of things, didn’t I? Tried to pretend to be so normal on the outside. I mean look at you Billy, you probably have the perfect family and sometimes being around it without telling you about mine, hurt. But it hurt worst to think you might reject me when you found out about all of this. I was recovering for the first day, and then I snuck around the hospital the rest of the time.”

“You could have been open about it. You’re seriously overestimating my loving family and underestimating my power of belief. You’re also underestimating my feelings. I thought it was really obvious actually, which is why I tried to act cool about it a few times. I thought if I was too clingy…and then there was Tommy and I-I don’t know.”

“You looked so betrayed at the hospital..I’d lose my train of thought. I started thinking crazy things like, I’d tell you, I’d explain. But what if you got hurt, what if you thought it was too much? What if the stuff from before threw you off?”

“Stuff from before? You’re really losing me with this, first with the sneaking and now with this.” Billy made a swirling motion with his finger, realized it looked out of context and tucked his finger inside his fist.

Teddy treaded carefully closer to him, and when Billy didn’t widen the distance again, he took it as a good sign and grabbed for Billy’s closed fist.

“You’re like an open book, sometimes I feel like you’re too honest. Shh don’t interrupt me.” Billy tried to glare at him, but the intensity of the look in Teddy’s eye forced his down. It was like any physical contact always made Teddy stronger, more assured and didn’t fail to reduce Billy to a pile of emotion.

“I used to look at you in the yard, and think you’d never go out with anyone. Always in the corner, perfect target for bullies. I may have sometimes intervened without anyone knowing…But then you showed up wearing..I mean, the entire school  _noticed_. I had to do something then, the idea that someone else would see past how hot you were in that t-shirt and jeans and find that you had one of the sweetest personalities? That was out of the question.”

“You’re not making any sense-”

“Hear me out, I’m giving you the entire story. So then, it was an adjustment from my usual ways of checking up on you. That and I got sloppy with timing it.”

Billy felt for a moment that he should know what this means, that he suspected he already knew but never really stopped to think about it, when suddenly a clear picture of Mr. Smith came to mind.

“Our biology teacher…you’re…you’re a shapeshifter  _ohgod_  the bathroom thing.” Billy tried to pray his hands away from Teddy’s strong grip, feeling not just a little embarrassed and slightly horrified at Teddy.

Teddy didn’t let him go, trying to pull him closer, and kissing the top of his head. “There was also..uh, others.”

“Please tell me that cute pizza boy wasn’t you.”

“What cute pizza boy?”

Billy did actually glare at him this time, face flushed a shade of scarlet. When Teddy’s face flushed a similar color, he rolled his eyes.

“I knew that pizza arrived too fast.”

Teddy kept silent, and several minutes passed by with them being in the same position.

“So you’re…I mean, you really like me?”

“More like obsessed. Bordering on human worship.”

“I don’t know if I’m even human. Those powers, I had no clue. I kept thinking I imagined those along with you going out with me.”

“Why would you think that?”

“Because I was pining over you the minute I walked through the school gates? You keep saying I’m honest, an open book, but how could you miss that one obvious detail.”

“As flattering and amazingly ego inflating what you just admitted was, I was actually asking about the human part.”

“Jerk.”

“I love you Billy Kaplan.”

“That was cheating. I’m still pissed, well somewhat at you. I’m not letting the Tommy thing go that easily either, you should know that, I hold grudges. We’re not nearly done with this conversation.”

“I know. It doesn’t change the fact that I really missed you and felt lost when I couldn’t be near you.”

“You know, the first person I wanted to share my news about the powers with? It was you. Even when mom recovered, the first person I wanted to call, wasn’t my dad, the nurses or the doctor, it was  _you_. I knew then that I was hopelessly attached to you.”

“Does that mean we can get back together?”

“I believe in second chances. But you have a lot to make up for, I’m telling you this upfront.”

“Even if I have to spend the rest of my lifetime doing it, you can be sure I will.”

“Are we going to make out in the Avenger’s headquarters?”

“The minute we get rid of the guys eavesdropping on the other side of the door.”

Billy laughed, placing his head on Teddy’s broad chest.

Their moment of privacy was broken by a loud groan coming from behind the door, which was followed by the appearance of the rest of the team. Tommy making strangled sounds of disgust, Eli standing awkwardly because they were caught, Cassie was grinning from ear to ear, and Kate was giving them a knowing look, a small smirk making its way to her delicate features.

“Did you guys make up?”

“Almost.”

They barely had time to hear him say the word, before Teddy leaned down and kissed Billy. It wasn’t even a small peck, and Billy had to get over his initial shock before melting into it, and giving Teddy full access to his mouth.

Sounds of grumbling and a shouted ‘get a room’ didn’t stop Teddy, he didn’t end the kiss until he had thoroughly ravished every part of Billy’s mouth. Lips, teeth and tongue. Leaving Billy a gasping mess by the end of it.

“Welcome to the Young Avengers’ team.”

Billy looked at Cassie, who’d just blurted that line out and smiled.

“Hi. My name’s Billy Kaplan. You can call me Asagardian.”

There was a deadly silence following Billy’s statement, then Teddy coughed and said, “B, we’re gonna have to find you a new name.”

***The End***


End file.
